To be Green
by Tsukino Akume
Summary: The Green Rangers share a dark secret.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned them, I wouldn't be working minimum wage in Satan's Playground, which is making me develop an irrational hatred of children and teenagers.

This is for Weesta, who inspired it with her comments. Which by the way Weesta, has now made it impossible for me to just **watch** Power Rangers Zeo. I keep watching Tommy and Adam together, and darn you, you were right. Or at least it looks like you were.

I warn you all now, I can barely see the screen my eyes are so tired, and I don't have a spell check on this computer. In otherwords, typos ahead.

Enjoy.

To be Green

He looked around at the warm, smiling faces. He didn't deserve this, didn't deserve their friendship and support. The Power Coin he used hadn't been earned; it had been stolen and manipulated.

It couldn't exist this way; he could feel it. When Rita had altered the Green Ranger to give him that blated shield and sword she'd warped the Coin, warped the very Green energy it used. The damage was done. The Green Power would never be the same.

Without the sword, the shield might be saved. Alone it was merely a shield. If he used it on the side of Light long enough, it might be purified.

As for the Coin... He ran a thumb across it discreetly, feeling the hairline cracks. It wouldn't last long, but it deserved the chance to fight for honor and justice. Dragonzord deserved the chance to protect. He owed them that much.

The Coin seemed to glimmer in his hand.

So as his new friends eagerly welcomed him and Zordon looked down with both pride and pity, he swore to fight for the side of Good. He'd sold his soul for Evil; now he offered it to the Morphin Grid. He knew it would eventually cost him his life.

* * *

"The Green Power is flawed." 

Adam didn't look up from his homework. "I know."

"If you know, then why'd you take the morpher!"

He sighed, raising his head to meet Tommy's eyes. "For the same reasons you joined Zordon and the others. It's not the Zeo Crystal's fault that Rita warped the Green Power.It still needs Ranger 4. I'm not going to abandon my friends just because I was chosen by the weakest Crystal. I figured you of all people would understand."

"I understand." Tommy sighed, running a hand over his hair. "That doesn't mean I like it."

Adam smiled slightly, reaching across the table to grip Tommy's hand. "I don't expect you to like it. But it's good to know that someone else knows."

Tommy nodded silently as they stared at each other. He would never tell the others. This was a secret between Green Rangers, and their secret it would stay.

Of course, that didn't mean Adam couldn't expect him to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Carlos was in heaven. Skeptical, but in heaven. Of all the people in the world, out of everyone in Angel Grove, Adam had picked **him** to be the next Green Ranger. It wasn't his dream come true, but it was definately an honor. Still... 

"Why me?"

Adam sighed. "Because it taked a different kind of person to be a Green Ranger, and I think you can handle it." He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts. "Do you remember the Evil Green Ranger?"

Carlos nodded.

"When Rita Repulsa turned him evil, she permanently damaged the Green Power. Any Green Ranger will always be the weakest member of the team. They have to fight even harder to make up the difference.

He stared. "You want me to take a Morpher that I **know** is weaker than the others?"

Adam sighed again. "It **is** weaker. But the team still needs the third Ranger. And they don't know about The Flaw." He looked up suddenly, the intense look in his eyes startling the younger boy. "They can **never** know. They won't understand, and they'll try to protect you."

"But when you take the weaker Morpher, you're doing it to protect **them**." Carlos realized.

Adam nodded as he fell silent, thinking. Could he really do this? What if there were side effects? What it...?

He looked up, meeting Adam's eyes again. "I'll do it."

* * *

He just couldn't understand it. Why him? He wasn't strong or smart. He wasn't even a very good fighter. Why on Earth had **he** pulled the Green Quasar Sabre? 

It should have been Leo. Leo was all about sacrificing himself to protect others. He'd be perfect-no, wait. He got himself into enough trouble as the leader; lord knew how bad he'd be if he was **supposed** to be protecting them.

There was Kai. No, Kai wouldn't be able to handle the stress. He had enough with his job on top of being the Blue Ranger. Not Kendrix. Maya could hace, but she fit Yellow too well. Mike would have been a good choice, but he was...

But Mike had reached for Red, not Green. And something told him it wasn't just because of the way he'd fallen. The Green Sabre had called **him**, not anyone else.

Damien sighed, pausing in his tinkering to stare at his Morpher. It just didn't make any sense to him. He wasn't particularly brave. He wasn't the weakest physically, but he wasn't the strongest, either. The only real fighting skills he had came from the Morpher's input during battle. Why was he chosen by the hardest Power to bear?

At last he shook his head, returning to his work. It wasn't like he could very well give it back. He wouldn't abandon the other Rangers like that. And he couldn't tell them the truth about it; that would be breaking the Green Rangers' promise. He just wasn't that sort of person, and that was that.

Now where in the world had he left that wrench?

* * *

Joel flopped back on his bed, utterly exhausted. Today had not been a good day. The demon had been stronger than they'd expected, which left him trying to draw its attention away from the others. On top of that his Power levels kept fluctuating, which made him not only a target, but an easy one. Then there was the debriefing, during which Captain Mitchell had reemed him royally for his 'inattention during battle'. 

He'd asked Ms. Fairweather once why they'd chosen Green instead of Black for his Morpher. She explained that Captain Mitchell had always admired the original Green Ranger for his dedication and sacrifice. He'd chosen Green in his honor.

A smirk drifted across his face. They'd made a Morpher in honor of the very person who'd warped its Power. The irony was too funny.

Not that he blamed him anymore than any other Green Ranger ever would. That went solely to Rita Repulsa. And as all Green Rangers would promise, he'd never tell the secret of the Green Power. That was their duty.

He stretched, rising to his feet at last. Enough napping. Time to go hit on Ms. Fairweather for awhile. After that, a bit of annoying the other Rangers. Of course, dinner somewhere in between.

He yawned and shrugged. Such is life.

* * *

He was never very good at keeping secrets. A Xybrian trait; they were all naturally horrible liars. He was no exception. If someone stared at him long enough, he'd cave. 

Jen's stare didn't waver. He fidgeted. "I forgot!" he burst out at last. "I was working on some modifications for Circuit, and I feel asleep. I'm sorry. I forgot all about my shift."

Well, he hadn't **really** forgot. But he did fall asleep. The Power levels on his Morpher were at an incredible low today and his natural energy was taking a toll from trying to keep up. Even now he had to struggle not to yawn through Jen's lecture.

It was silly that he'd picked the Green Morpher, really. He could pull off the target part easily, being obviously the weakest, but he wasn't a strong enough fighter to protect himself very well. And he couldn't lie if anyone asked him directly about his Morpher. He just...couldn't. It wasn't in him to lie.

But no one knew enough to ask directly. And if it wasn't a direct question, he could always dodge the topic. The others knew he wasn't strong, and they assumed it was too sensitive a problem to bring up. And everyone knew mutants targeted the weakest link. As long as he was careful, they'd never know he deliberately made himself out to be the weakest.

He wasn't able to stop the yawn this time, blinking rapidly in a vain attempt to refocus his eyes.

"Are you feeling okay, Trip?" Katie asked worriedly, ignoring Jen's look at being interrupted.

"Just still a little tired." he answered, rubbing at an eye as he tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"Maybe you should lie down for awhile." Jen said begrudingly, though concern shone in her eyes.

He smiled brightly. "I'll be fine. I'm sorry, Jen. It won't happen again."

And he couldn't let it. There must be no suspicions. He had to make them believe he was just as strong as the rest of them.

Even when he wasn't.

* * *

His life was just filled with irony. He was bored and annoyed with the Wind Ninja Academy, the Academy was stolen and his father turned into a guinea pig. He hated being on the sidelines as the Rangers were fighting, they nearly got themselves destroyed as he went to the past to find a 'Power Source'. The next thing he knows, his first battle has him turning into a bug, and he's stuck using the 'Human Target' Morpher. 

Cam scowled at his computer. And now it seemed Hunter's bi-polar comments mught not be so unfounded. The fluctuating energy levels of his Morpher had been wreaking havoc on his nervous system, which in turn affected his emotional state. It was like permanent PMS, and it bit.

One moment he was fine, the next he was completely exhausted. He was fighting strong by himself, he was drawing the attack away from the others. He was lonely and wanted to feel like part of the team, he was irritable and short-tempered and wanted nothing more than to be left alone. His life was in a constant state of contradictions.

But when he was honest with himself, he wouldn't give it up for anything. The Rangers really did need him, and it felt good to be part of a team. Even one as dysfunctional as his.

It was a great feeling to fight to protect the innocent. It was an even greater feeling to protect his team. To protect his friends. To feel like his father was finally proud of him.

Not that he'd ever admit to any of it.

* * *

"You're so weird, Bridge!" 

He smiled brightly at his teammate. "Thank you."

Sydney rolled her eyes and huffed her exasperation. Typical reaction. He kept smiling as she marched over to a chair and flopped down with another huff.

He liked being 'The Weird Ranger'. Weird was fun. Making random comments to confuse people. Doing things that had them staring at him as they tried to figure out why.

Weird wasn't about why. It wasn't the defense to keep people away that Z thought it was. It wasn't to annoy them like Syd thought. Jack's secret belief that he really **was** brain damaged, amusing though it was, was wrong too.

Shy was suspicious that it was to stop any questions he didn't want to answer. He was right in a way, but then he **was** the most observant member of the team. Not to mention they'd known each other the longest. As much as it was a potential problem, he was pleased to know his friend payed that much attention to him.

He didn't want questions. It was hard enough with Kat fussing over him after every fight. Not to mention Commander Cruger drilling him harder because he thought he was really that bad in battle. He wondered sometimes is part of the Morpher's magic was to hide the readings Kat **should** be getting. The energy fluctuations, the emotional inbalance, the dehydration, the exhaustion, the general physical inadequacy, particularly in comparison to the other Rangers.

The Morpher didn't speak so much in words, exactly. But it had been able to share the thoughts of the other Green Rangers with him. That was how he knew the secret, and why no one would ever tell.

They were fairly certain using a Green Morpher permanently affected the wearer. Adam had been a prime example of that; after so many years of being Green, the Black Mastadon Morpher couldn't recognize his energy anymore and had nearly killed him. Cam's research and experiments had not only discovered the truth of Adam's near disaster, but also suggested that the physical toll of the energy fluctuations did indeed shorten the Rangers' lifespan.

He was weird because it was fun. He already had the weird power and the weird Morpher; why not go for broke? He could confuse and annoy his friends, which was an awesome bonus. And being random kept things interesting. If his life was going to be short, it might as well be worth it.

He was a Green Ranger after all. And Green Rangers fought the hardest, laughed the loudest, and smiled the brightest. They would always protect their friends from the truth.

It was the code of the Green Rangers, after all.


	2. Epilogue

Sighs All right Weesta, you evil, evil woman. You challenged me, and here is it. I'm quite proud of this one actually. I rather like Bridge's thoughts at the end.

Anyway, you all know the routine.

Enjoy!

Honor the Lost

"Too many funerals." Tommy Oliver muttered to himself, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He shivered against a cold that wasn't there and hunched his shoulders. He was always cold these days.

"Tommy." a voice greeted solemnly.

A hacking cough, followed by a nod from the other man waiting for him as he struggled to quiet himself.

"Carlos, Cam." he returned quietly. It was never 'good to see you' with them. These gatherings were to honor the fallen. There was no joy in their reunion. "What's the explaination this time?"

"Plane crash. Lost control during a routine flight. Happens to the best of them." Cam's reply, though short, was laced with bitterness.

Carlos looked at the funeral procession and sighed. "And then there were three." he murmured darkly.

Adam had been the first. A heart attack in his sleep, supposedly genetic. He was twenty-one.

Then had been Trip, the victim of a fatal Zord accident. He'd gone down in flames during an attack and died a hero. Alex Collins had shocked them all by fighting tooth and nail to honor Trip's wishes for his body returned to the past he'd so loved to be cremated. Trip had been nineteen, two weeks from his twentieth birthday.

Damon had lived a quiet and peaceful life on Miranoi with the rest of the Lost Galaxy Rangers. He had gone swimming alone one day and never came back. He'd been twenty-eight.

It was at Adam's funeral that Tommy stood in the back as his friends grieved, unable to bring himself to face them. He knew the truth; Adam's 'heart attack' was the final of a series of seizures that resulted from the corruption of his life energy. He'd known Adam was dying slowly and painfully for two years, and was sworn to secrecy. He couldn't grieve with the others when he knew what Adam had truly died for, what he had truly sacrificed. He couldn't pretend Adam's tragedy was so simple.

It was there that he met Carlos and Damon. Joel had joined them for Trip's memorial. Each time the group would hide themselves from sight, sharing in the pain of losing a fellow warrior. Only another Green Ranger would really understand.

"Actually, four." a new voice spoke up softly.

The three men turned to find a young boy in military clothing. He offered them all a sad, knowing smile as they took note of the green trim to his S.P.D. uniform. "I'm Bridge, S.P.D. Green." he informed them all.

Tommy's eyes were pained as he shook the new recuit's hand. He would never stop praying for the day that someone else would notice. The Green Rangers would never tell for themselves, but he still hoped for that day that another would see what was happening and find out why. That there would never be a Green Ranger again.

Carlos was quiet, but respect for another who would willingly take up the sacrifice shone through dark orbs.

Another cough racked Cam's frame, leaving him shaking for a moment. At last he looked up, his gaze as fierce and proud as ever. His grip as he took Bridge's hand wasn't as firm as it would have once been, but it was far from weak.

Joel Rawlings was buried with full military honors. Captain Mitchell spoke of him as a Ranger, while Carter's memories of Joel as a friend brought many of the audience to tears. Angela Rawlings cried herself to exhaustion in the arms of Dana Mitchell and Kelsey Winslow. The turnout would have surprised Joel himself; like all of them, he considered few people outside of the Rangers to be his friends.

The four observers watched the service silently.

Cam would be the next. He was quite proud to have made it thirty-eight at all, a rarety for a purely Green Ranger. His fading health had already ruined his immune system. The seizures would come next, eventually leading to heart failure. A long, slow, and painful way to die.

Tommy had a few years more. His health was just beginning to falter. He had made it the longest at fourty-two. He suspected he had three or four years left.

Carlos, nowthirty-seven, wasn't in perfect health, but he wasn't sick. The Black Astro Morpher continued to protect and heal him, even though it was mostly ornamental now. When he finally passed it on, his turn would come.

Zordon, it seemed, had known more of Rita's power then he'd let on. All those fights he'd kept Tommy from, he'd been trying to protect him from the Green Power. When there was no hope and the Power had gone, he desparately searched for a way to save Tommy's life. He'd found salvation in creating the White Ranger. While the change of energy had wreaked hell on Tommy's nervous system, it had begun to mend the damage of the Green Power. The Red Zeo Crystal and Red Turbo Morpher had supported him even more. And when Zordon's energy spread throughout the universe, a small portion went to Tommy, Adam, and Carlos, in attempt to sustain them. Tommy's life, the one that should have been the most condemed, ended up as the one best protected. Which of course, only furthered his guilt.

Bridge didn't know how long his future was, or what it held. He might die in a tragic accident as Joel and Damon had, or in a blaze of glory like Trip. Perhaps in his sleep as Adam. There was no way to know.

What he did know was the honor he felt to be counted among these true heroes. Men who sacrificed their bodies with great pain to protect the greater good. Men who suffered as they watched their friends die and know there was nothing they could do. Men who protected their teams with silence, to protect them from the pain of knowing their sacrifices and why they chose them.

He couldn't save them. He couldn't grieve with tears for the ones he didn't know. But by the Power, how he wanted to make them proud. To uphold their legacy.

He would fight in memory of the ones before him, continuing their battle. As would the ones after him. **This** was what it meant to be a Green Ranger. And he **would** make them proud.


End file.
